What's Going On in Spartan Volleyball

Dual Upsets Plus Defensive Player of the Week!

The September 22-24 weekend was one of the best ever for Spartan volleyball!

It started with a thrilling 5-game upset of undefeated national #5 Wisconsin and ended with a dominating 3-game upset of undefeated #1 Minnesota. The third set at Minnesota saw the Spartans rebound from a 7-16 deficit with an 18-6 run to win the match. The back-to-back road wins over top-five opponents was a first in Spartan history.

Senior Autumn Bailey was a standout in the matches, including a career-best 25 digs vs. Wisconsin, earning the Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week award. [Big Ten awards]

Cathy George Becomes Longest-Serving MSU Coach

With the opening of the 2017 season at Georgia Tech, head coach Cathy George became the longest-tenured volleyball coach in MSU history. This is her 13th season leading the Spartans, surpassing Chuck Erbe's record of 12 seasons (1993-2004).

In addition, Cathy will soon be MSU's winningest volleyball coach. As of September 24, she is third in victories at MSU, behind Erbe's 244 wins and Annelies Knoppers' record of 250 (1974-84). She needs 19 victories this season to take the lead.

Florida Tournament Cancelled Due to Hurricane Irma

With hurricane Irma approaching the state of Florida, the Active Ankle Challenge tournament in Gainesville September 8th and 9th has been cancelled. The Spartans were already in Gainesville when the cancellation was announced, but will return to East Lansing Friday afternooon.

On Wednesday, the tournament had been cut back to a single match between Michigan State and Florida, to be played Friday, September 8 at 5:00 p.m. ET. The other two teams originally boooked for the tournament will play instead in a quickly arranged tournament at UNC-Greensboro. Unfortunately, because of the late cancellation, the Spartans had no chance to arrange any replacement matches.

Spartans at #17 in 2017 Preseason Poll

The 2017 Preseason AVCA Coaches' Poll, released on August 9, has the MSU volleyball team ranked number 17, similar to their preseason rankings in 2013 and 2014. This is higher than their final rank of 19 last season, due to a large returning squad and promising freshmen. Looking forward to a good season! [full poll]

Join or Renew for 2017!

The 2017 season is right around the corner! Now is the time to join the SideOut Club, or to renew your current membership. Download the membership form and mail it in now. [Membership form]

2017 Schedule Released

The 2017 volleyball season schedule has the Spartans at home for only one pre-conference tournament (September 1-2), along with three road trips to face challenging opponents.

The pre-conference schedule is unusual in that it has the Spartans tackling five opponents that they also faced in last year's pre-conference season. After playing San Diego State on the road last year, we welcome the Aztecs to East Lansing this year. MSU hosted Florida and Notre Dame in separate tournaments in 2016; in 2017 the Spartans will travel to those schools. Finally, MSU will meet both Central Michigan and Southern Illinois at neutral sites for the second consecutive year.

The visits to Georgia Tech (August 25-26), Florida (September 8-9), and Notre Dame (September 15-16) should be good preparation for Big Ten conference play, which begins on the road at Wisconsin on September 22, with a return for the home opener against Maryland on September 29. [full schedule]

"Volleyball 101" Session

On May 21, 2017, the Spartan Fund sponsored "Volleyball 101", an introductory session for Spartan fans covering the rules of the game, strategy, and more. It was especially intended for new fans, or fans coming from other sports, who wanted the additional understanding of volleyball that would add to their enjoyment of the game. For those who attended and may have missed the handouts, we provide them here for download. [Main handout] [Rules PowerPoint] [Serve receive]

New Assistant Coach — Jesse Ortiz

MSU volleyball has filled out the coaching staff for 2017 with a new assistant coach, Jesse Ortiz. He spent three years as assistant at Miami (Ohio) following similar positions at Ferris State and Sonoma State. [full story]

Previous 2017 News

"Home" Exhibition April 21

Spartan Volleyball will host a spring event at East Lansing High School this year rather than in Jenison Field House. The Green vs. White exhibition play is scheduled for Friday, April 21, 2017, at 7:30 pm.

The spring schedule will open three weeks earlier on April 1 at the Ohio Valley Volleyball Center in Louisville, Kentucky. On April 8, the Spartans will be at a tournament at the Oak Lawn Pavilion in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Participants will include Illinois State, University of Chicago, and Loyola (Chicago).

April 12 brings a midweek 6:30 p.m. game against University of Michigan at Dakota High School in Macomb, Michigan.

(Note: because of the nature of spring scheduling, all times are subject to change, but will be more firm as the events get closer.)

J.T. Wenger Hired at Texas-Arlington

After one year as MSU's assistant volleyball coach, J. T. Wenger has accepted the position of head coach at University of Texas Arlington. Coincidentally, Spartan head coach Cathy George held the same position at Texas-Arlington from 1989 to 1993. We wish J.T. the best in this new chapter of his life! [full story]

Big Ten and Other News

Big 10 Down Slightly in 2017 Preseason Poll

For the first time since 2003, no Big Ten volleyball team was ranked among the top three in the nation in the Preseason AVCA Coaches' Poll for 2017. Overall, however, the conference did well, with eight teams making the top 25, more than any other conference. Big Ten teams took four consecutive spots starting at number four, with Minnesota earning the highest ranking. [poll analysis]

Coaching Change at Illinois

On February 10, 2017, Chris Tamas was named head volleyball coach at the University of Illinois. He was an All-American and four-year starter at the Univeristy of the Pacific and his eight years as an assistant coach include stints at Nebraska, Minnesota, and others. [full story]

Tamas is replacing eight-year head coach Kevin Hambly, who was just hired into one of the premier programs in the country, Stanford University, replacing John Dunning who retired this year. [full story]